Writing, Leadership, Coaching, Mentorship

This Warrior Loves her Tribes

It’s the beginning of a new year, and as always I feel a little reflective of the year that has just come to an end. And two words specifically come to mind for me. Warrior and Tribes!
Personally, it was solidified last year that I truly do have an underlying “warrior spirit”. I had forgotten about this part of myself, and perhaps even taken it for granted a little. But like my mother before me, when push comes to shove my Warrior kicks into high gear when required. I thought about the time we were camping and I first was dubbed a warrior nickname. A few of my friends and I, and our brood of children were doing our annual camp at Gull Lake. We ladies got to talking about how everyone had a dark side, and decided to name our alter egos. We came up with a few, such as Veronica and Brandie but initially didn’t have a name for me. Until we made a trip down to the lake, and a couple of boys were bullying kids in the water. Without thinking, I got up and placed myself in the water between them and the kids they were bullying. I stood, quietly placed in their path. They tried to deke around me, and then when I didn’t budge they said “what are you doing?”
“Standing between you and your victims, how do you like me so far?”
“Not very much”, they replied.
“I said really just like the kids that you are bugging then, what a coincidence”
Then they made a game of it, trying to get around me. But they didn’t realize that I was successful, they were now spending their energy trying to bother me and the kids they were trying to bug were free to have fun.
I looked up to see my girlfriends laughing on the beach, and just kept relocating myself in the boy’s path. Finally, they decided they weren’t going to win at this game, and as they swam away they said “Goodbye Zultar!” I chuckled to myself and thought, great everyone else has a fluffy nice name, and I get Zultar! The problem is the nickname stuck, and it became my alter ego.
This memory came back to me this year, as my husband and I were invited to sub for our kid’s baseball team. They were short a few players, and so recruited us geriatrics for a game. It was humbling at best. They were all in their twenties, and the two of us stuck out like sore thumbs. I was nervous when I went up to bat and when I hit the ball; I went running for first base. My foot caught on the red shale, (when did they start to put red shale on baseball diamonds?) and down I went. I immediately jumped to my feet, spurting blood from my leg and stepped on the glasses that had fallen off my face. Amazingly this was not enough punishment, and I tried to continue running for first base, all the while not noticing that the first basemen stood there holding the ball. I was OUT!
Once I reached the bench, I cleaned up my wound and then continued to play. My leg was screaming the whole time. (I said I was a warrior, I didn’t say I was a graceful one.) It was fun, and the team recruited a runner for me in the unlikely event that I hit the ball again. And as I gathered up my wounded body, and wounded pride at the end of the game to shake hands with the other team… a young man said “Good game, and by the way we named you Warrior”.
The second theme for the year was the realization that I create and cherish strong tribes around me. I was reminded of this with three beautiful weddings that happened this year. The feeling of being surrounded by people that I love, whether they are close or at a distance was one of the biggest blessings for me this year.
I was blessed with having these occasions reinforce for me the absolute love you feel for people that you hold in your heart. It made me think of all the different tribes of people that I belong to and cherish.
And I thought about the teams of people that I have worked with, and how many years down the road we are still connected. And I was thankful that this year, I had spent more time investing in those relationships too. I realized that new tribes are being created all the time, and that for me it was important that everyone feel a part of them. I knew that I had made some new strong connections this year, but worried that a few people still might be feeling left out. One of these ladies in particular, I worried that I hadn’t drawn her into the group. She was quiet and I wasn’t sure that I had created a bond and made her feel part of the team. So, I was thrilled when I received an email from her thanking me for keeping them in the loop, making them feel part of a team and for a smile that kept them motivated. I was elated!
And so as the year came to a close, and we enjoyed the company of our newest tribe member (our son’s girlfriend), I sat at the last wedding of the year and watched the crazy antics of one of my tribes! I Felt Blessed and Completely at Home.
May you stand for a Cause, and Create Lasting Connections!

Hey Jacquie,
What a beautiful write. I was drawn to your story and had a tear in my eye. You were always a lovely lady and the words above just solidify my thoughts since meeting you many years ago. I am very blessed to have crossed your path.

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